118. Is it right to pray to Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit?

Is it right to pray to Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit? The normal order of prayer is to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). It is through Christ that we come unto God (Hebrews 7:25). God the Father is the ultimate person in prayer. But there is abundant warrant in the Scriptures for praying unto Jesus Christ. In Acts 7:59, R.V., when Stephen was filled with the Spirit, we find him calling upon the Lord Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Paul tells us that he besought the Lord thrice for a certain thing, and the context shows that the Lord he besought was Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:22 Christians are spoken of as “them that call on the Lord,” and 4:8 of the same epistle shows the Lord who is meant is the Lord Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 1:2 Christians are described as those that “call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” In Romans 10:12-13 we are told that same Lord over all is rich unto all that “call upon Him,” and in v. 9 we are told that the Lord of whom Paul is speaking is the Lord Jesus.

There is only one recorded prayer in the Bible that is addressed to the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 37:9), but the communion of the Holy Spirit is spoken of (2 Corinthians 13:14). Furthermore, Jesus taught that after His departure another Comforter would come to take His place, and that this other Comforter is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; John 15:26). We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit for everything, so must look to Him, which implies prayer. Yet it is the Father and the Son who give the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; Acts 2:33), and it would seem that if we wish Him, instead of praying directly to Him we should pray to the Father or Son for Him.